Gospel Of Grace Through Jesus Christ
This may be the most impacting presentation you will ever hear/see. Paul shows us, in no uncertain terms, the state of grace in which Believers live! Or should live!! This change-your-life explanation of what took place on Calvary is doctrinal sound, yet rarely taught in churches today. What a truth release!!
Filmed at the 2010 Steeling the Mind Bible Conference
“Seeing it is a RIGHTEOUS THING with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you;”
(2 Thessalonians 1:6 KJV)
This is truth. God will one day take vengeance on all who do not believe and who persecuted believers. That is what God will do in righteousness. He offered them the gift of salvation and as a gift, it can be accepted or rejected. By rejecting such a great gift, they will pay for their sins themselves (John 3:18).
But should we use this as a positive thing in how we treat our enemies? Like this?.. “You will pay one day!!! I call God to curse you!” Unfortunately I see those calling them self believers doing just that! Or should we boast about this fact in gladness at all? NO. It is just a statement of fact Paul is giving to encourage believers under persecution to stay the course, keep the faith.
How about we should LOVE OUR ENEMIES and PRAY for those that persecute us as Jesus taught?
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?” (Matthew 5:44-46 KJV)
How about we forgive our enemies and pray that God not hold it against them as Jesus prayed on the cross…
“Then said Jesus, FATHER, FORGIVE THEM; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.” (Luke 23:34 KJV)
…and as Stephen prayed while being stoned,
“And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.” (Acts 7:60 KJV)
The point is encouragement to keep our faith in being saved in 2 Thess. 1, but in our walk we are to love above all.
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” ( 1 Cor. 3:17 KJV)
I have heard this one line verse so misused out of context. Some even to say, from pulpits, it is about loss of salvation if committing suicide. Leaving families in fear that their saved loved ones, who got saved, and ended up in hell. Horribly wrong!
Paul just finished explaining what will happen at the Bema Judgment of believers after the Rapture. Works from living carnally will be burnt up. They will not gain eternal rewards. How we live after salvation matters; Or we lose salvation ? NO.
The Bema Seat Judgment by Christ for born again believers will happen after our bodily resurrection. It will occur in heaven; the New Heavenly Jerusalem. The place Jesus is preparing for us from John 14. Only the Bride of Christ can enter. So these are all in heaven, already in their eternal Holy state and in glorified bodies as Christ now has, after having been harpazo raptured.
“If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: BUT HE HIMSELF SHALL BE SAVED yet so as by fire.” ( 1 Cor. 3:17 KJV)
Apostle Paul is telling these babes in Christ, who are carnal in their living (saved eternally by belief on Christ but living worldly outwardly), that they need to start living in the Spirit that God made them (same as Paul told the Galatian believers in Gal. 5:16).
Paul wrote the context from verse 1…
“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”
They should have progressed into the Spiritual truths but are saved people still acting as born again babes in the faith. Living as worldly unsaved people, even though they are saved people.
Paul is teaching to them to understand that they should live morally right, even under persecution. How we live outwardly as believers is directly related to how much we are walking in the Spirit, which is already perfected (Hebrews 10:14, Colossians 2, 2 Cor. 5:17-21 etc). Do not get saved, born again in the Spirit, and live carnally. Renew our mind by the truth; God’s Word (Romans 12, John 17:17). As we do, we are less deceived and start living right because we know the truth more and more. We live right as we believe right in the mind. This is the way to true repentance after salvation (change your mind), growing in the knowledge of the truth as born again believers. Growing in good works that are not worldly but are because of walking by the Spirit God has made us at our core being. Works starting inwardly and Spiritual moving outward to good works in love for others. Paul explained it this way in Ephesians,
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV)
It is the devil and his fallen angels putting pressure on a person, pressures hard to bare, and whispering in their ears to end there own life. Look at what happened to Job when the devil pressed his life from all directions. He lost everything. His wealth and even all 7 of his kids. All gone in a flash. Did God do this? Did Job blame God or did he act righteously?
“And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.” (Job 1:22 KJV)
Job did not blame God for this. Satan got angered because Job kept his trust in God, and to make matters worse Job got these horrible painful boils all over his body. Who was it that caused this?
“So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.” (Job 2:7 KJV)
Things were so bad for Job in his life that even his own wife told Job,
“Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.” (Job 2:9 KJV)
Look how Satan was doing everything possible to get Job to curse God. The point I am making is to realize WHO is causing strife, pain and problems to bring a person to the point where they consider taking their own life. Job was in great grief, in a very dark place in life indeed. His friends came and they “…sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.” (Job 2:13 KJV)
Reading on into Job 3, we see just how deep his despair was. He cursed the day he was born. If we get to a place of great despair and a very dark time in our life, consider how Job responded. He grieved like anyone would! It was so much to bare!
“What is my strength, that I should hope? and what is mine end, that I should prolong my life?” (Job 6:11 KJV)
In the end Job, though struggled with all this, trusted God instead of taking his wife’s advice.
“But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10 KJV)
Job’s attitude even living through these very horrible life events was , if God brought me to it, he will see me through it. No matter what happens in life, we must keep God’s perfect character in view. It helped Job sustain through the crisis’ of his life, even when his own friends were telling him that God must be cursing Job for wrongdoing. This was not the case.
“I have heard many such things: miserable comforters are ye all.” (Job 16:2 KJV)
He could not even get any comfort from his friends on what was happening in his life. What God allowed to happen for His purposes. God was not the one doing this to Job, it was satan. That said, God allowed it for His own purposes. Later God restored more back to Job than he had before the dark times hit his life.
That is the words we need to keep in mind when dark times hit. God will be with us through all of life’s dark times. The devil wants to destroy us who trust in God. Suicide is not the way in such dark times. It robs the person of what God may have planned for allowing the dark time to happen. It robs family and friends to be left dealing with overwhelming grief.
Some just live in darkness quietly, telling no one. (if this is you, talk to someone. Even if it is a suicide hot line counsellor. Seek help!) And they are so overwhelmed by their experience in life that they give up and commit suicide. Some who are terminally ill are in so much pain without hope of survival that they decide to end their own life. Dark times are not the same for everyone.
And then some fellow believers tell those left living to deal with grief over their loved ones suicide, that such who commit the act are going to hell, and even as believers have lost their salvation. Not only is that a horrible thing to say, it is also not Biblically sound. A person who believed on Christ for righteousness and His death and rising again are eternally saved from the very moment they believed (Eph .1:13-14). Any sin committed after that moment of salvation was already paid for on the cross (Colossians 2). A believer who commits suicide may lose eternal rewards, but they are still heaven bound (1 Corinthians 3:15).
That is not to condone the sin of suicide, but it is Scriptural sound. Any sin after salvation will not mean loss of salvation. Any sin. All a believer’s sins were already judged and paid in full by Christ on that cross 2000 years ago as they died WITH CHRIST and ROSE AGAIN with Christ (Colossians 2).
Any person left living after a close friend or relative has committed suicide can take some comfort in this, if the person was a born again believer on Christ for salvation.
Stop trying to work your way to righteousness with God. Stop trying to work in order to keep your salvation. That is NOT THE GOSPEL! I will use Romans 4 as well as other passages so you can clearly see the truth. The truth that most pulpits are not even teaching in these last days.
“1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture?
Here Paul is writing about Abraham. Abraham, the one called ‘the FATHER OF OUR FAITH’ by so many. Abraham who believed God’s promises so much that he went up the mountain to sacrifice his only son. Do you know what happened before Abraham and his son went up that mountain? Let us have a quick look.
In Genesis we see what Abraham says when he decides on going to the place God told him to go to Sacrifice his son Issac,
“And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. ” (Genesis 22:5 KJV)
What stands out in this verse? It is some VERY important words ‘I AND THE LAD ‘, in essence ‘WE’. You see God had taught Abraham who He really is. Abraham had complete trust in God to always be good and do the just thing. Over the years, he learned that God is faithful and can be trusted. He did have a son as promised by God, even though his wife Sarah was in her older years and baron. It was not as Abraham expected the promise to be fulfilled by God, but it was fulfilled. It increased his faith in God.
Abraham tells his young helpers that ‘we will come back to you ’ . He did not say ‘I will come back to you’. Abraham is showing his faith! That is his complete faith that God would never allow him to actually murder his son unrighteously. And even if he did, he knew that God would have to raise him from the dead because God had already promised Abraham that it is through Issac’s bloodline, ‘I will make you a great nation’. Later we see Issac asking his father Abraham,
“And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together.” (Genesis 22:7-8 KJV)
Again we see Abraham exercising his full faith and assurance that God would provide a Lamb in place of his son for the sacrifice. Abraham knew this must be a test of his faith and trust in God. God has never shown him to be like this. He moved forward with full faith in God and the attributes of God.
“Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
We see this same exact truth in the book of James. A book many use to teach falsely that works are a requirement of salvation. We read in James 2,
“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and
it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the
Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by
faith only.” (James 2:23-24 KJV)“
You see, righteousness cannot be worked for to achieve! Righteousness is by BELIEF and not behaviour. Righteousness must be IMPUTED by God. That means that our perfectly Holy God, who is perfect in every way, must have a perfectly righteous and perfectly just foundation to be able to do so. That foundation is Christ Jesus on the cross, who by HIS once for all blood atoning sacrifice paid for ALL SINS of the whole world.
” Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, either hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” (Hebrews 10:8-10 KJV)
“And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.“
(1 John 2:2 KJV)
This is the truth of The Gospel of Grace of Grace Through Christ Crucified. This is the GOOD NEWS that all people need to hear and believe. Today we hear mostly that salvation is by being a good person and by having good works. And the Lordship Salvation heresy is rampant as well. Once we believe on Christ, good works are not required to remain being saved either. This is false by Scripture.
4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
When we work for our employers, we EARN our wages. We work for those hard earned wages. But when someone presents you with a GIFT, you have two options only; accept the gift or reject the gift. We do not earn salvation and we do not work to keep salvation either. Salvation is by God’s GRACE and this English translated word GRACE in the Greek has a meaning of ‘favour’. A gift is an unmerited favour. If we have to work to accept a gift, then it is no longer a gift and is something we earn through our own works.
5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Apostle Paul shows us that righteousness comes by BELIEVING and not BEHAVIOUR. Verse 5 here is very powerful truth because it shows that we are all UNGODLY to some extent. It only takes one sin and we are guilty. We see in this verse something that is very opposite to many pulpits in ‘christian’ church buildings in these End Times. Most pulpits are teaching are teaching the exact opposite of this verse! Paul tells us that those working for salvation is not counted as righteousness with God. Why? Because ALL HAVE SINNED and come short of the glory and righteousness of our perfect God Almighty as Paul taught in the previous chapter 3 of Romans,
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just,
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
(Romans 3:23-26 KJV)
We also see in Romans 4:5 that God justifies THE UNGODLY! So to qualify for salvation we must be ungodly people and we all are, whether we admit it or not. Jesus Himself said that if we are anger at someone without cause, we have broken the commandment to not kill. If we even look at someone with lust, even though not taking action on it, that we have broken the commandment of adultery in our hearts. Jesus took the Law of Moses and Ten Commandments to the next level. Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees and Jews that were relying on their Law keeping for righteousness, which is an impossibility! Here we see that God justifies the UNGODLY! Now that is the best news ever. It certainly is what we would expect is it? We are all sinners who have sinned against God. We do not deserve salvation or God’s righteousness bestowed upon us. That is why salvation is said to be by God’s Grace. A FREE GIFT of UNMERITED FAVOUR from God. In Ephesians 2:8-9, Paul calls relying on our self righteous works being ‘boastful’. That is the very sin that caused all this mess. The sin of Satan; the sin of PRIDE. We also see Paul teaching against the belief of modern day Lordship Salvation which back loads salvation with works required in Galatians 5,
“ Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law;
ye are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith.”
(Galatians 5:4-5 KJV)
Paul even sternly warned against backing loading salvation with works required because it is the same sin of pride but subtly entices our fleshly thoughts and guilt of sin. The devil always uses our senses to deceive us because he cannot do anything to ‘unsave us’ or to affect our Spirit. The devil cannot touch our new born again Spirit which is the righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21) and so he tries to influence our wrong beliefs in OUR MIND. The battle for an already born again believer is in the mind (Romans 12, John 17:17) and not the Spirit. For this reason also be on guard against false ‘Deliverance for believer’ teachings. The devil cannot touch our new born gain Spirit of God! God is not ever going to share this space with the devil nor his fallen angels. The Bible says that our Spirit has been perfected (Hebrews 10:14, Colossians 2:10) and that is written in the present tense based on what Christ already accomlished on the cross in the past, 2000 years ago.
6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
Here we see Paul going back to David. David was way ahead of his time in the Gospel of Grace and the power of a believer’s righteousness. God called David man after His own heart. Wait a minute now, didn’t David have sin? Yes, David had sin. Did he ever! He had an affair with a married woman, got her pregnant and then killed her husband to cover it up. Now do not judge his behaviour without being truthful about ourselves because we too have many sins committed, even as believers. The Gnostics during the time of Jesus first coming and shortly after ward taught wrongly that a believer has no sin and John refutes this false teaching.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”
(1 John 1:8-10 KJV)
John wrote ‘HIS WORD IS NOT IN US”. The same John that lived with Jesus during His Earthly ministry. The same John that seen all the miracles and heard Jesus’s teachings. So, Jesus also taught this. Jesus also taught against ‘works for salvation’ in Matthew 7:15-23 mentioning the false fruit of words coming from false prophets teaching that good works save a person. Jesus gave stern warning against this wrong belief because many will find themselves at the Great White Throne Judgment of the unsaved, who thought they would make it to heaven by their works, but will not, and to whom will hear Jesus state,
“And then will I profess unto them,
I never knew you: depart from me,
ye that work iniquity.”
Matthew 7:23 (KJV)
But David knew the truth about God’s GRACE and unmerited favour. We have consequences for our sins; absolutely. Yet, look what David believed and wrote as Paul quotes him above. BLESSED is the person whom God imputes righteousness without the person’s works to somehow erase a sin. Instead, BLESSED is the person whose sins are covered. Blessed is the person the Lord will not impute sin upon.
9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision. 11 And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of ALL THEM THAT BELIEVE, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
And this wonderful amazing GIFT of Salvation by the amazing Grace of God is not just for the Jewish people as some are teaching these days. No my brothers and sisters in Christ! All that is required is for a person to believe regardless of their heritage or blood line.
12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised.13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression.
There you have it. Plainly stated. Clearly stated. Salvation is not by being a ‘good person’, nor by having ‘many wonderful good works’. Salvation is definitely not by keeping the Law of Moses, or even the Ten Commandments. Salvation is through the righteousness of faith! Faith in what? Faith in Jesus, the Christ, who is God in the flesh (John 1) crucified, died and risen (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), having paid for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Paul wrote ‘where no Law is’ and he is talking about us today because Jesus paid for all transgression committed against the Law.
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, 17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.
Salvation is of faith in Christ by God’s Grace. How much clearer can Apostle Paul be? Salvation is for all peoples, not just the Jewish peoples. Salvation is fully available to any person that will accept the FREE GIFT of salvation. If you move on and read the next chapter of Romans, chapter 5, you will learn that God’s free gift of grace washes over every sin we commit as believers! Christ’ sacrifice was fully sufficient as payment for our sins, though they be small sin, large sins, horrendous sins! All were paid in full by Christ.
18 Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah’s womb: 20 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; 21 And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.
Abraham BELIEVED GOD’S PROMISE to him! He was promised to have a son and that son would be the father of many nations. So did God give his son when he was still younger? When Abrahams’s wife Sarah was young? No. God chose to show His power and His promise to Abraham and his son was born when Sarah was older and barren! Yet, the power of God showed up and she conceived and bore a son. A complete miracle for all to see. Now Abraham had his son and God instructs hi to sacrifice his only son on the mountain alter. Yet, Abraham believed God would not allow it and it was his BELIEF that showed his faith in God.
Have you ever gone through hard times that make you shake your head and ask God ‘why?’, ‘what did I do?’. God’s got a plan brothers and sisters. Believe and trust God in ever circumstance in life and He will show up when you least expect it and then you will think to yourself ‘OH! That is why!’ That is true faith in God.
“23 Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; 24 But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; 25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification”
Verse 23 is a summary of salvation by Gods GRACE through faith (belief) in Christ Crucified died and risen. Continue reading into Romans 5 and you will see how God’s Grace wins over ever sin we commit, like waves rolling over the sands on the ocean. His grace is stronger than any sin because HE paid for all sins. He paid the full wages for our sins (Romans 6:23).
Not at all. We have a new born again Spirit and the Holy Spirit indwells a believer in Christ. It is an inward change that moves outward in MIND RENEWING. We live outwardly as we believe in our mind. Right believing leads to right living outwardly in love for others.
“For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we SHOULD walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV)
Apostle Paul wrote to ‘walk in the Spirit’ (Gal. 5:16) and to ‘renew our mind by God’s word’ (Romans 12) which will lead to right outward living. Perfectly? Not until our bodily resurrection, but most certainly increasingly if we do so. This is not about salvation which was accomplished the moment a person believes (Eph. 1:13-14, 1 Cor. 15:1-4, John 6:37-40, John 3:18, Colossians 2). This is about how we live AFTER we are born again in the Spirit and saved. The very same thing James taught in James 2.
Salvation is a free gift, without good works required (Ephesians 2:8-9). But as believers we are to live Godly as we renew our mind by God’s Word (Romans 12) by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Believers still make choices everyday. They are tempted by the devil and demons ad this world, everyday. Let the way we live not ruin our witness for Christ.
Apostle Paul in Romans 5 tells us about the MUCH MORE of God’s grace when we sin but in Romans 6 tells us not to just live carnally after salvation because we are saved. We have been given a NEW CREATION in our Spirit. Our OLD SPIRIT of Adam DIED WITH CHRIST and so why would go back and live as we did with our old now dead Spirit? A Spirit in bondage of sin? That is the wrong attitude.
“4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. 8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 9 (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 10 He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)
—>11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
—>12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with –>every wind of doctrine<–, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. 17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, 18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart: 19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. 20 But ye have not so learned Christ;
21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:
22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
23 And be renewed in the spirit of YOUR MIND;
24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.
25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another.
26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
27 Neither give place to the devil.
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
30 And GRIEVE NOT the holy Spirit of God, whereby YE ARE SEALED unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4 KJV)
There is a teaching going around stating that Noah and his family were not saved by grace but by obedience to build the ark. They even go so far as to quote Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith” but the rest of the verse seems to be missing. The entire verse is,
“For BY GRACE are ye saved THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT OF GOD: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, created in Christ Jesus UNTO GOOD WORKS, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:9-10 KJV)
Wow. Look all that they left out in stating that Noah was not saved by grace but by obedience. Now let us look at the English translated word FAITH in this verse in the Greek for a moment.
The Greek of the English translated word faith in this verse is not a verb; it is a noun. It is not an action word but is instead a person, place or thing. So in this context it is a thing. The Greek word for faith in this verse is ‘πίστις pístis, pis’-this’ from Strongs Concordance G3982 and it is defined simply as ‘assurance, belief, believe’. The word faith here is a noun and that is very important to understand!
It is not about what a person DOES, it is about what a person BELIEVES. So it is the same as saying “ For by grace are ye saved through BELIEF”. If our salvation rests on our obedience then we are EARNING our Salvation. And Apostle Paul is telling us that believing that is boasting. He goes on in verse 10 to show that we are ‘His workmanship, created in Christ’ which is an inward change in our Spirit that happens when we believe on Christ and HIS finished work on the cross. We see this inward change and how our Spirit is reborn by the very words of Jesus in John 3:5-6, 14-18, John 6:37-40. We also see Paul teaching this all over His writings such as in Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Cor. 5:17-21, Colossians 2 and 3, Romans 5 and 6 as just some examples.
If it is our obedience that saves us and makes us a righteous person, then we are boasting in our on efforts and that is not the Gospel of Jesus Christ Crucified. There is a fine line here between grace and obedience and if we do not see the truth a person can be deceived by someone teaching that Noah was saved by obedience and not grace. Why? Because it appeals to our Flesh.
The first time the word grace appears in the Bible is in the story of Noah in Genesis 6:8,
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. ” (Genesis 6:8 KJV)
The number 5 throughout the Bible signifies this grace. In fact, this is the 5th time Noah’s name is mentioned in the Bible. That is no coincidence! That is because it is all about God’s Grace. Noah surely had some major evidence of his belief and trust in God’s Grace though didn’t he! He believed the flood was coming because God told him directly and specifically when it would come. He was given exact dimensions and plans by God in how to create the Ark as well. Noah believed and so his obedience is evidence in how much he believed God. The obedience is not what saved Noah though. God’s grace saved Noah! It is something we can look at today as believers so we can trust that our efforts in helping others come to Christ for Salvation by telling others of the Gospel, are not in vain as well. Noah was mocked by those he told about the coming flood. Yet, he pressed forward in the warning to them. Can you imagine the people back them gossiping about this guy building a huge boat on dry land? “Crazy old fart” is what they would say. But he knew the truth by God’s Grace. And he pressed forward warning them and preaching to them as he built the Ark. And one day, a day appointed by God, Noah and his family went in the Ark and it is not Noah who closed and sealed them inside safe and sound. It was God who shut and sealed that door.
“And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and
THE LORD SHUT HIM IN.”
(Genesis 7:16 KJV)
God shut and sealed them safe inside that Ark. What a picture of our Salvation by God’s grace through faith/belief in Christ Jesus. Apostle Paul is clear so many times in his teachings which he received directly from the risen Christ. If obedience is required for Salvation what do we do with this verse?
“For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.” (Romans 5:19 KJV)
By one man’s disobedience many were MADE sinners. Why do we sin? Do we sin and therefore have a sinful nature? Or were we born with a sinful nature and therefore we sin? This verse answers that question right? The one man that first sinned was Adam and since Adman this thing, this noun called sin has been passed down to all of humankind. And by belief on Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, who is God, who paid for the sins of the whole world on that cross (1 John 2:2), we are born again in the Spirit, in our core nature and MADE RIGHTEOUS. It is not that we made ourselves righteous through obedience. In 2 Corinthians 5 we see a truth that should make us shout the good news. In verse 17-21 we read,
“17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become NEW…21 For he hath made him TO BE SIN FOR US, who knew no sin; that we might BE MADE the righteousness of God in him.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 and 21 KJV)
Let’s unfold this extremely powerful truth Apostle Paul is giving us to unpack. Let’s look at this in the Greek to see the real truth and meaning. The English translated word new is ‘καινός kainós, kahee-nos’ (Strong’s G2537) and is defined as ‘of uncertain affinity; new, especially in freshness’ . The English translated word creature is in the Greek, ‘ktisis ‘ and has a meaning of a word in English we use called ‘creation’. So Paul is telling us that when a person believe on Christ for righteousness they become a NEW CREATION in the Spirit. This is just as Jesus told Nicodemus about the need to be born again in the Spirit to enter the Kingdom of God in John 3.
As we continue to verse 21 we see the truth that saves us. It is not by obedience but by belief in Christ and His finished work that we are saved. A divine exchange takes place for all who believe on Christ for righteousness. For all who lay down their outward dead works and instead have God recreate them in the Spirit; our core being. By imputation God placed all the sins of the whole world (includes your and mine!) onto Christ who had NO SIN and Jesus literally became sin for us and died on the cross and paid the penalty for our sins in His shed blood as our substitute. Most Christians understand this. But the next part, is something many believers have not yet grasped. God also MADE US by imputation, the righteousness of God in Christ. When Jesus took our sin, He also gave us HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS which is perfect because He NEVER SINNED. This great exchange is seen in more detail in Colossians 2 where Apostle Paul tells us that all the Spirit Of Adam Sin Natures, of all who believe on Christ, were placed on the cross WITH Christ, died WITH Christ, were buried WITH Christ and already (past tense for us) ROSE again WITH Christ as the new Spirit of God which is IN CHRIST. Colossians 2, what an amazing truth it reveals along with 2 Corinthians 5!
Now I ask you, were we saved by obedience or did we come to God as sinners asking for mercy because there is no way to pay for our sins by our works and good deeds? Jesus paid it all! It is all by grace and belief in Christ. What a completely different picture this is than those falsely teaching that GRACE did not save Noah but obedience did.
No. Obedience to the truth is important. Living Godly lives and loving others as God loves us is very important. But what saved Noah and his family? Grace or obedience or both? The Grace of God! Just as in James 2, works do matter but they do not save nor keep us saved. James is talking about how a person is living outwardly since being changed in our Spirit. He is talking about the fact that we have been born again and so how are we living outwardly? Are we helping others or just living in carnality? Such a faith is DEAD, meaning useless in Greek, because it does not help others does it? Obedience does matter. Yes of course it does. Once we are changed in the Spirit, we should be ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5) and loving others as Christ has loved us. By this love we share, by this ‘little light of mine’, which God MADE us, we become witnesses to others by our living and by our words.
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. “ (Matthew 5:16 KJV)
Learn from Noah. Saved by grace and working for God, as Paul did as well, as ambassadors for God and Christ. You have been given much in your Salvation. Eternal life. And so many riches we do not even yet comprehend my sisters and brothers in Christ. Now, we need to go and tell others the GOOD NEWS of The Gospel of Grace Through Jesus Christ Crucified, Died And Risen.
“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us:
we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”
(2 Corinthians 5: 20 KJV)
In the Book of Romans we see the word SIN is used 48 times by Apostle Paul. The Romans Road to Salvation is something many use to bring people to Christ and so let us get this right! If you read the Book Of Romans, believing that all instances of the English translated word ‘SIN’ is all using the same meaning; that is where confusion starts. The truth is that not all instances of the English translated word SIN have the same meaning. Most believe all instances are used as verbs describing individual sins that we all commit. But that is not the case. We sin because of a sin nature. We do not have a sin nature because we sin. This is important to realize.
The English translated word ‘SIN’ is a THING, a NOUN. It causes living wrong outwardly, which is called ‘sinning’. Our true being at our very core is our Spirit being. It is the real us. It is our true self. Before believing and trusting in Christ and His finished work we had the Spirit of Adam. Apostle Paul calls this Spirit of Adam also as our ‘old man’. This spirit has a disease called SIN (a noun). We sinned because we had a sin bent Spirit. A fallen Spirit. It worked outwardly to our mind.
From the moment of Salvation, God MADE US a new creation which is the born again Spirit of God (2 Cor. 5:17-21) and it is (present tense) the righteousness of God, in Christ. Paul calls this THE SPIRIT in His writings. Complete in Christ and risen with Christ (Colossians 2), sealed by the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph. 1:13-14), the righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21). The body and mind is not yet redeemed. It needs renewing by the truth of God’s Word (Romans 12, 2 Corinthians 10:5 ) and by the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Our mind has old beliefs from the now dead Spirit of Adam, called THE FLESH. The mind connects our Spirit to our body outwardly and the mind makes decisions which is reflected in outward living in works and deeds.
This is walking in the Spirit for a born again believer, which leads to less sinning outwardly and instead, good works (Gal. 5). It is how God in us, works through us, with our free will kept intact. Since our old Spirit of Adam, with it’s sin bent nature is now DEAD (Romans 6, Colossians 2) why walk in it’s old fleshly sin bent ways?
“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?” (Romans 6:1-2 KJV)
The devil and fallen angel try to excite the wrong beliefs (THE FLESH) by exciting them with our physical senses. Change our beliefs in mind by God’s Word and we do not fall for their deceit as much! It protects us and our witness by how we live! We believe the truth more and sin less and protect ourselves too from the enemy (Eph. 6).
“And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8 KJV)
I see a large majority of pulpits preaching condemnation to BELIEVERS. It is so very wrong! Preaching to eternally saved believers that they have evil inside of them so we better keep the Law of Moses. Better not commit a ‘mortal sin’ Better do good to be good. The list of false teaching along these lines is rampant in these End Times! Better do this and do that!
The truth is, if you tell a person the lie that they are evil at their core being with no assurance of Salvation often enough, they are going to believe that in their MIND and they will base decisions on that outwardly in their life. It really hurts their witness to the lost world. That is what the Pharisees taught and Jesus called them Hypocrites and Vipers headed for condemnation in hell. Law following outwardly will NEVER save a person nor keep them saved INWARDLY. Apostle Paul taught that following the Law for righteousness or to keep ourselves righteous will cause us to sin more – not less (1 Cor. 15:56). We need to first have a NEW born again Spirit as our core being and then we need to believe the truth about who God made us when we believed on Him and His finished work on the cross. Believers are a new Spirit Of God at our core being. Our new Spirit of God does not have SIN (1 John 3), it is the righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21), it is present tense complete in Christ and is ALREADY risen with Christ (Colossians 2). Believers are SEALED by the indwelling Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13-14). Believers need to know and understand these truths of who they really are!
Once a person believes these things in the MIND, it is harder for the enemy to deceive us with temptation and lies and we will live outwardly as we believe. We will sin less and have more good works flowing from our new Spirit into our outward physical lives. It is not surprising that the pulpits teaching condemnation and no assurance of salvation to believers never use these passages in their preaching! They are coveting for money by preaching fear to believers! But what does Apostle Paul write? He taught a believer to live by FAITH – not fear!
“But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, THE JUST SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” (Galatians 3:11 KJV)
Our new Spirit of God is the real us at our core being. It is eternally redeemed (John 3:14-16, Eph. 1:13-14). Never to be condemned. But we have a responsibility to work with, and not against the indwelling Holy Spirit to renew our mind and bring every thought into submission to Christ within us (Romans 12, 2 Corinthians 10:5). This is true repentance AFTER our moment of Salvation. Changing our MIND. The enemy cannot attack your new Spirit of God. The enemy cannot do anything o cause you loss of your Salvation either! But the enemy can do things to tempt you and excite your wrong beliefs and thoughts. The enemy can ruin your witness for others to get saved by these wrong beliefs still in your mind.
Law following outwardly without changing beliefs in the mind by God’s Word, will cause us to sin more, it is the STRENGTH OF SIN.
“The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Cor. 15:56 KJV)
Focus on the changing of mind by the truth of God’s Word to sin less. Believe who we are in Christ and we will start living outwardly more Godly.
“This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (Gal. 5:16 KJV)
Jesus prayed for us to the Father for us in John 17. Do not overlook the reading of this,. It will bless you so much!
“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17 KJV)
“For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purgedshould have had no more conscience of sins. ” (Hebrews 10:12 KJV)
Jesus became the once for all final sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) and as Jesus said,
“He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:18 KJV)
Do not have a sin consciousness believers! Jesus already paid the full price and penalty for our sins. Our sins have already been judged on Christ. Not being assured of your Salvation is a lie from the devil himself. That is no longer you as a believer. You are one in union, with Christ and in Christ, already risen with Christ forever. He is Emmanuel, God within us! How amazing! Struggling with repetitive sin? Get in the Word of God and renew your mind by the truth about who God made you when you believed on Christ for justification and salvation. Repent which is defined in the Bible simply as to change your mind, not by externals and works but by RIGHT BELIEVING! And that is believing the truth. And the only truth we have is guided by the indwelling Holy Spirit and THE WORD OF GOD.
Why Did The Hebrews Roam The Desert 40 Years ?
When you read the story of what happened in the Exodus, you need to see all the foreshadowing for Jesus’ first coming and also foreshadowing for us believers today as well. The Hebrew slaves were rescued from their slavery of over 400 years. 400 YEARS ! The question often asked is why did the Hebrews roam the desert for 40 years before entering the promised land?
And this was done with such enormous miracles. Think about all the plagues, locusts, frogs, turning water to blood. All first born with the blood on the doors (which was on mantle and both sides..a foreshadowing of the Jesus on the cross). And then we see just as Pharaoh’s army was upon them.. with no where to go, trapped by the red sea. A pillar of fire came and stopped them at night and a pillar of dust by the day. Ya know what a desert is like? BURNING hot in the day and FREEZING COLD at night! So by the day, the pillar of dust.. blocked the HOT SUN from scorching the Hebrews and by night the pillar of fire kept them warm! This is the per-incarnate Jesus doing this! He even told us it was HIM..
“For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me.” (John 5:46 KJV)
And then we have, not to forget, one of the most enormous miracles God did with Moses, the Red Sea parted and so much so that the land under the sea where it parted.. was completely DRY. No mud! DRY LAND! And yet, we do see that after that the Hebrews did lots of murmuring and complaining, doubting and having a lack of faith. And God made the entire generation wander in the desert life for 40 years instead of a straight path to the land He had prepared for them; the promised land.
We too, should not be doing that as saved people. Complaining, whining, worrying. Jesus paid it all and gave us ALL THINGS. As Paul wrote,
“And we know that ALL THINGS work together FRO GOOD to them that love God, to them who are the called according to HIS PURPOSE.” (Romans 8:28 KJV)
How many times do we see Jesus telling us to not worry, fear not?
“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matthew 6: 31-34 KJV)
“Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31 KJV)
“But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole.” (Luke 8:50 KJV)
What we need as believers is to live IN FAITH and TRUST that GOD KNOW EVERYTHING HAPPENING TO US.. even before it does!
“And he said unto her, Daughter, THY FAITH hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.” (Mark 5:34 KJV)
We need to use faith as this woman did! Why is it that we cannot believe that Jesus lives WITHIN US? He is intimately involved in everything we face in our lives as believers.
Why Did The Hebrews Roam The Desert 40 Years ? What Should We Learn From The Answer To This Question?
We believers in Christ have been given so much! What do we have to complain about really?
We have been given a brand new born again Spirit of God, which is right now fully redeemed, fully forgiven all our sins in our life (past/present/future) (1 John 2:2) and are now without sin in our new Spirit (1 John 3) and God does not even remember our sins anymore(Hebrews 8:12). We have become the righteousness of God, in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17-21), we are one with the Holy Spirit who is one with Christ and Christ is one with the Father and we are one with them all (John 17), ! We are complete in Christ and already risen with Christ in the Spirit (Colossians 2) having gained eternal life (John 3).
As believers in Christ we look forward to the promise of the New Jerusalem, that heavenly city, the believers future eternal home. See how the Exodus is relating to US?? In the Exodus, God was leading the to the ‘promised land’. We believers today are headed for the ‘New Jerusalem, that Heavenly city’ ! The Hebrews passed through the Red sea waters, a picture of being saved by the Holy Spirit. Now saved….. how should we live?! In faith or fear?
“ In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to PREPARE A PLACE for you.” ( John 14:2 KJV )
You want something to fear? The only time the word fear is used as something a believer should do is to fear this ONE THING:
“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into HIS REST, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Hebrews 4:1 KJV)
How great is our God! Jesus tells us He did it all and to have FAITH in life. Do not worry about anything. He has a PLAN! Yes, you will have tribulations and troubles. Yes, you will be persecuted for your belief in Christ and sharing the Gospel. But look what God has don or us. He made us His children! And gave us the most amazing inheritance imagined. NOTHING IN THIS LIFE can even compare!
Jesus said,
“These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might HAVE PEACE. In the world YE SHALL HAVE TRIBULATION: but be of GOOD CHEER; I HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD.” (John 16:33 KJV)
And the only time mentioned to us in Scripture, under the New Covenant we live within, the only thing to fear is not entering HIS REST!
I know I struggle with worry, anxiety at times, wondering ‘Why God? Why is this happening?’ I lack that kind of faith that I wish I had. But, it is growing and so is your faith. I hope this helps you see the truth. That is always the first step to living a life full of peace and faith and to hopefully one day be able to say as Apostle Paul in prison, facing physical death,
“Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” ( Philippians 4:11-13 KJV)
To understand the truth about a person being sanctified we need to first understand what the word ‘HOLY’ is defined as. What does the Bible mean when it uses the English translated word ‘HOLY’. This is a matter of great importance in interpreting passages about a believer and how they are SANCTIFIED. Is sanctification a life long process, where we are moment by moment becoming more and more Holy? Or does a believer’s sanctification happen in an instant, from the very moment that they believe on Christ and His finished work on the cross, having in the past, PAID the just penalty for all our sins?
When we look up the English translated word SANCTIFY in the New Testament in the Greek , what do we find as the definition of the word? What we find is Strongs G37:
G37: ἁγιάζω hagiázō, hag-ee-ad’-zo; from G40; to make holy.
( Strongs Concordance)
So, the word Sanctify literally means to MAKE HOLY. So we see that how we define the English translated word HOLY matters much in seeing the truth about being sanctified as believers. So, when we further look into this in Greek, we are pushed to look into the word ‘Holy’ which is, as G37 tells us, G40:
G40: ἅγιος hágios, hag’-ee-os; from ἅγος hágos (an awful thing) (compare G53, G2282); sacred (physically, pure, MORALLY BLAMELESS or religious, ceremonially, consecrated):—(most) holy (one, thing), SAINT.
(Strongs Concordance)
In essence, the meaning is ‘most holy thing, a saint’.
Let us first look at this word Holy as it is used whenever the ‘Holy Spirit’ or ‘Holy Ghost’ is mentioned.
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the HOLY Ghost.”
(Matthew 1:18 KJV)
The Holy Ghost is GOD right? So how Holy and set apart is God from all of His creation? Hugely set apart! He is the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end. The one and only God of all that exists! So when the word HOLY in ‘Holy Spirit’ is used in the Bible, it is basically saying that God is completely SET APART from all of His creation. He is the almighty God who always existed and always will. Now, THAT is definitely a set apart being! Yes? The word HOLY in the name ‘Holy Spirit’ is Strongs G40 in Greek.
You see this word HOLY is used by many in so many different ways by believers today that it has become a pivotal part of how they believe about Salvation and justification with God. This is something we must get right! To be Holy is basically to be PERFECT and SET APART. Understanding this as the proper definition of the English translated word for HOLY, we now return to the word SANCTIFY (G37) in the New Testament because it references the very same word ‘HOLY” in the ‘Holy Spirit’, which is G40.
Apostle Paul used this word SANCTIFY many times in his ministry such as,
“That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering up of the Gentiles might be acceptable, being SANCTIFIED BY THE HOLY GHOST.” (Romans 15:16 KJV)
“And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but YE ARE SANCTIFIED, but YE ARE JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the SPIRIT OF OUR GOD.” (1 Corinthians 6:11 KJV)
This last quoted Scripture from 1 Cor. 6 is a real eye opener. Sanctified by what? It states by the SPIRIT OF OUR GOD and when you look that phrase up in the Greek, it literally means the HOLY SPIRIT.
The word ‘sanctified’ is G37 and again, it is not defined as believers striving to become more sanctified by living more holy lives, as if we can even do that in our own efforts. Yes, of course a believer is to live right outwardly in love towards others and in good works. But regarding this word SANCTIFY that is not we see as the meaning. The word Sanctify literally means ‘TO MAKE HOLY’. Does that mean we have to make ourselves Holy to be sanctified by God? Not according to Scripture!
“And THE VERY GOD OF PEACE SANCTIFY YOU WHOLLY; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be PRESERVED BLAMELESS unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 KJV)
In this verse, it is GOD who is making the believer HOLY. And it is God who keeps us in this state of being called ‘HOLY’. It is not our work; it is God’s work to make a person HOLY! That is in fact how we are saved is it not? Apostle Paul taught so,
“For BY GRACE are ye saved THROUGH FAITH; and that NOT OF YOURSELVES: it is the GIFT of God: NOT OF WORKS, lest any man should boast. For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN Christ Jesus UNTO good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:9-10 KJV)
The writer of Hebrews also states so,
“Wherefore Jesus also, THAT HE MIGHT SANCTIFY the people WITH HIS OWN BLOOD, suffered without the gate.” (Hebrews 13:12 KJV)
Do we read, in any of these verses, that a person is sanctified by our works and right living? NO! A person is sanctified by God through belief in Jesus the Christ (God in the flesh, who is God!)
“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, BECAUSE GOD HATH from the beginning chosen you to salvation THROUGH SANCTIFICATION OF THE SPIRIT and belief of the truth:” (2 Thessalonians 2:13 KJV)
Again, we see that it is GOD who is setting a believer apart and making them Holy, which is the very definition of the word sanctification (G37), ‘TO MAKE HOLY’.
“But of him ARE YE IN CHRIST JESUS, who of God IS MADE UNTO US wisdom, and righteousness, and SANCTIFICATION, and redemption:”
(1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV)
Small but powerful verse! In 1 Corinthians 1, we see that many were kinda arguing who is greater among them,
“Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.” (1 Cor. 1:12-15 KJV)
Even though Paul had been given such wisdom by God to preach the good news of the grace of God through Christ crucified, Paul in no way wanted to be known like this! Paul tells that not to do this. In fact, Paul lists his weakness and boasts of that instead, stating in verse 27, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;” and in verse 29 that “no flesh should glory” in God’s presence. Paul is telling them, we are weak, but then we are strong because it is the Lord God that sanctifies us and sets us apart as a HOLY being. That is why Paul says “But of him are YE IN CHRIST” in verse 30. He is telling these believers that they may be saved because of Paul’s preaching but that he was only a conduit chosen by Christ to preach and that it is ALL GOD’s work making us saved , set apart and HOLY beings by belief in Christ crucified, died and risen, having paid for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) !
Today we see churches actually calling their church ‘The Corinthians’, such as “Corinthian Baptist Church” as only an example name. Now I use this only as an example of many many church names that use the word ‘Corinthian’ in their name. Yet, in the Bible the Corinthians were one of the worst examples of a group of believers in how they were living outwardly! So much so, that Paul says they have even exceeded the sins of unbelieving Gentiles!
“It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.” (1 Corinthians 5 KJV)
So wicked, that Paul mentions fornication, where a son had sex with his father’s wife, and yet the church has done nothing about it! And mentions there are more sins that he cannot mention that are not even seen by gentile unbelievers!
Paul’s writings to the church at Corinth is actually a REBUKE to the way this body of BELIEVERS is living! Notice that Paul writes to them from the beginning and addresses them as eternally saved believers, even though they were committing such wickedness.
“Paul called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that ARE SANCTIFIED in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their’s and our’s: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; That in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; Even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who SHALL also confirm you UNTO THE END, that YE MAY BE BLAMELESS in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. GOD IS FAITHFUL, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” (1 Corinthians 1:1-9 KJV)
Paul says that these Corinthian church members, ARE SANCTIFIED, as in are ALREADY sanctified. Not that, after Paul tells them to stop living outwardly so wrong that THEN they will be sanctified. NO. They are ALREADY sanctified, “in Crist Jesus”. And there is no one in IN CHRIST who has not been saved by BELIEF on Christ and HIS finished work on the cross. When a person accepts the GIFT of Salvation by God’s grace, Jesus Christ crucified, their Spirit of Man DIED with Christ on the cross, was buried with Christ and rose again WITH CHRIST in the Spirit. Many believing Christians, do not know that in the Spirit, they are ALREADY RISEN WITH CHRIST and IN CHRIST, right now, COMPLETE IN CHRIST! Read Colossians 2 and it will surely bless you my fellow believers in Christ!
Sanctification is not a lifelong pursuit. It is not us working to be more Holy. The truth is by Scripture that at the very moment of belief on Christ, WE WERE SANCTIFIED, WE WERE completely forgiven all our sins in our life (future sins too), WE WERE MADE BY GOD the righteousness of God, IN CHRIST.
You, my brother or sister in Christ, have been COMPLETELY and UTTERLY changed at the CORE of your being, in your Spirit, and made a NEW CREATION. A complete change in our core being from an UNRIGHTEOUS nature to a RIGHTEOUS nature.
There has been a change in you! Your feelings about it have NOTHING to do with this truth either!
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW CREATURE: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become NEW. AND ALL THINGS ARE OF GOD, who hath reconciled us to himself BY JESUS CHRIST, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, NOT IMPUTING their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21 KJV)
There WAS (past tense) a HUGE EXCHANGE made when a person believes on Christ and His blood sacrifice for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2) All believers from all of time, were placed on that cross with Christ and the “wages of sin”, which is DEATH (Romans 6:23), happened. The full penalty for sin was PAID IN FULL, a debt we could not repay. BUT ALSO, and this is what many believers today may not know, when Jesus paid for our sins, He also gave us HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS! Jesus knew no sin and yet God imputed our sins to Christ and then imputed Christ’s righteousness to us!
NOW THAT IS SANCTIFICATION! THAT IS GOD SETTING US APART FOR HIMSELF!
“But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Cor. 9:27 KJV)
Paul mentions THE BODY, NOT THE SPIRIT in this verse. He is not writing about Salvation.
The Greek word translated ‘castaway’ is ‘adokimos’ and means ‘not standing the test, not approved’.
The only test for salvation by Jesus’ own words is belief (John 3:16, 6:28-29, 6:37-40) and the only way to be disqualified is to refuse to believe on Christ (John 3:18) .
In 1 Cor. 9, Paul compared a believer’s life to an athlete’s attempts to achieve victory in a race. Both involve bringing one’s body into subjection. This is not a precondition for salvation, but a way to achieve victory over the flesh (wrong beliefs in the mind) after we have been saved.
So, this verse is not about salvation, but about living right outwardly. It in no way teaches against the eternal security of a believer. In his other writings Paul explains how to live right outwardly. We need to renew our Mind by God’s Word (Romans 12) and walk in the Spirit to avoid the lusts of the flesh (Gal. 5:16).